Tubridy stays off the air amid controversy over additional €345,000 payments from RTÉ

Ryan Tubridy stayed off the air this morning as the national broadcaster RTÉ faced into a serious crisis, following the revelation the company had made previously unknown additional payments for years to the presenter which totalled €345,000.

Chairwoman of RTÉ board Siún Ní Raghallaigh admitted that the broadcaster misled the Government, its staff, and the public over payments to Tubridy over a six-year period.

Comedian Oliver Callan filled in on Tubridy's radio show earlier this morning. Meanwhile, members of the National Union of Journalists working at RTE planned to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the controversy. Many journalists at the national broadcaster took pay cuts during the pandemic, under the impression that the highest-earners were also accepting pay cuts.

It is now clear that this was not the case with Ryan Tubridy. In a disclosure that raises questions regarding the salaries of some of RTÉ's highest-paid presenters, the broadcaster revealed that Tubridy had received €345,000 in 'hidden' payments between 2017 and the start of this year.

That substantial sum was not disclosed in annual pay statements. Rather, the end-of-year earnings statements had suggested that Tubridy, the broadcaster’s highest earner, took a bigger pay cut than was actually the case, as RTÉ set out to reduce costs in 2020.

RTÉ are now caught up in what is a public relations disaster. It is one which clearly undermines their position in ongoing discussions with the Government – the impact surely being that the national broadcaster's campaign for more public funding will be seriously undermined.

Several high-ranking Government and opposition figures, including Sinn Féin TD and chairperson of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee Brian Stanley, have already publicly stated that the controversy has effectively stymied any possibility of an increase in funding for the broadcaster. The broadcaster has been warning of grave financial strain if it does not receive more money.

Former minister Shane Ross also appeared on Thursday's PrimeTime episode to discuss how the controversy will affect RTÉ's relationship with the Government.

Former Minister Shane Ross says RTE have "betrayed" the public following revelations of previously undeclared payments to the broadcaster's star Ryan Tubridy.#rtept pic.twitter.com/zQemxGpmZT

— RTÉ Prime Time (@RTE_PrimeTime) June 22, 2023

Chairwoman Siún Ní Raghallaigh refused to reveal who signed off on the secret payments to Tubridy, but admitted that those currently on the RTÉ board were not aware of the agreement. She said people will be held accountable following further investigation.

“It is a betrayal of trust to the public and we want to apologise for that,” she told RTÉ Six One News.

The story has dominated headlines this morning, with the high earnings alienating many viewers, given the current cost of living and housing crises many are facing across Ireland.

Ryan Tubridy has been paid €345,000 more than declared by RTÉ.

I'm an assistant principal of a school, and I've been teaching 11 years. I can't even get a mortgage of €345,000.

— Conor Bredin (@Conor_The_Geek) June 22, 2023

In a statement regarding the controversy, Tubridy said that “errors” in the reporting of RTÉ accounts were a matter for the broadcaster itself. The presenter had only recently stepped down as presenter of The Late Late Show, RTÉ's flagship programme.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed to be at the centre of this story but unfortunately, I can’t shed any light on why RTÉ treated these payments in the way that they did nor can I answer for their mistakes in this regard,” he said in a statement.

The presenter issued a public apology today, in which he revealed that RTÉ decided to keep the presenter off the air for at least another week.

“I am disappointed that RTÉ has decided that for editorial reasons I should not broadcast my radio show next week," Tubridy said. "I look forward to returning to the radio show, a job I love, as soon as possible and I hope my listeners and my colleagues appreciate my sincerity on this.”